The Curious Incident of the Pug in the Day-time

I'm back!

Whew! What an ordeal that was! First Dad takes me to this shiny place with lots of friendly people, then he leaves me there, then they give me a poke in my skin and I get all woozy and go to sleep, then I wake up and feel... really wierd, like something's missing. Can't figure out what, though... Oh, in other unrelated news, I have an odd line of funny-looking black things down by my back end. I try to reach them, but I've got this blooming cone thing on my head. It kinda freaks me out; I won't lie to you.




So that was Day One from inside the cone; Day Two was full of stomach-churning wierdness. Lots of stuff, coming out both ends. Didn't feel good, I can tell you that. But hey-- Dad seemed really upset, so I gave him lots of kisses and snuggles. In fact, I feel like snuggling a LOT lately. I just need to feel the humans next to me. Not really sure why, just do. Here's what's neat about it all, though: after not feeding me for like a day and getting me REALLY HUNGRY, Dad is now giving me this rice and meat stuff that is TO DIE FOR. I inhale it-- I never do that to food! I think there are some wierd little circular things in there that are hard, crunchy, and bitter, but I don't notice them too much. I'm too busy trying to figure out how to breathe around the food. Remember when Snoufer was sick, and I wished that I could get some of the side benefits too? Yeah... be careful what you wish for, right?

But life in the cone isn't all that bad. I get LOTS of cuddles and wrinkle-scratches and fussing, which is pawesome. Snoufer treats me a little better now; at least, he's not growling at me all the time. He does sniff my butt a lot, which is bizarre-- I've been here for almost 6 months, dude. You know who I am and what I smell like. Dad takes the cone off of me for a little bit during the day, especially when I'm outside. I can't got to the bathroom with that thing on. I don't know, it just freaks me out to do my business without seeing all around me. But, I get it put back on at night and during the day when Mom and Dad are at work. When it comes off, though, I get to play!

More news (of a sort): I'm starting to warm up to this whole water thing. I still don't think I like baths, but I will at least voluntarily get in the dreaded white coffin-- especially if Snoufer joins me.


And in other news, as of Day Three inside the cone (today), I have kept down all my food and antibiotics and have reduced swelling around the wierd black line, so things seem to be doing better! At least, Dad's mood is improved, and he's stopped looking at me like it's the last time he'll ever see me. Silly humans...

I'm so glad to be back, and I look forward to catching up with everyone!

Puddy Updates

Hello everyone!

First of all, let me say that Puddy is doing fine. Having said that, things could have gone better. When he was released, he had SERIOUS swelling on his surgery area. In fact, when he came out I asked the nurse if his hoo-has were actually gone! She assured me that the swelling was normal and would go down with antibiotics and other meds he was given.

All went well last night: he slept through the night, and was able to eat some food. That morning, we started the antibiotics (Clavamox) and other meds. However, he was unable to keep any food down all day and also experienced diarrhea. After that, I took him to the doggie emergency room. He didn't appear to have any ill effects from the surgery (i.e., no soreness, normal appetite, normal energy), so we thought it might have been unrelated. He was two pounds lighter on Saturday when we took him in than he was on Friday when he got snipped.

The good news is that he didn't have to stay the night. The bad news is that the vet thinks the antibiotic was causing him some upset stomach, so we have to keep him off of food (for 24 hours) and water (for 12 hours) to let his stomach settle, and then get him back on the antibiotics with a bland diet. If he throws up again, we have to switch meds. Regarding his swelling, the vet was actually more concerned with that than the vomiting. He thinks that during the surgery they missed a vein and now he has a slight hematoma "down there". This makes the antibiotic situation CRUCIAL, since he has to keep those down (and have the right kind) in order to avoid a more serious problem from infection.

It's not as bad as I'm making it sound, but I'll admit that with my reservations going into the surgery, this is doing nothing to ease my mind. I'll keep everyone updated on what happens.

Have a happy day!

My Second Award!

Hooray! I love getting awards!

Roxy and Lucky gave me the Best Friends Forever Gold Card Award. I get this cool little plastic thingy...


(hope it's OK if I chew on it... because that's what I do to plastic)

and I have to follow some rules, so...

1.Only five people allowed.
2.Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog
3.One has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4.You must link back to whoever gave you the award

Well, Roxy and Lucky are dedicated followers, so that's great. But since they gave it to me, does that count? I'm going to try to do this without double-dipping on them, but it'll be hard because I'm kinda new and don't have a whole lot of dedicated followers. But Roxy and Lucky, just know you are awesome also!

1. Winston and Clementine
2. Napoleon and Rukia
3. Gus and Indy
4. Sophie and Dixie
5. Frances Louise

Actually, that was harder than I thought. I have more friends! Yay! Everyone else, I love you too! Frances Louise, also known as "Wild Alaskan Mountain Pug" is my new and/or other part of the world blogger friend. Alaska?! For a pug?! Seriously, it might as well be Antarctica. OH WAIT, SHE'S BEEN THERE TOO! Wow. That's all I have to say.

Not much happening here with me and Big Brother. Dad is slacking off on the yard, and then Colorado got DUMPED ON with rain over the weekend, which makes the yard a veritable jungle.


I am the pug-tiger. Fear me.

Even with all that rain, the yard still looks like a 16 year-old kid trying to grow a beard. Can you tell where the sprinklers don't work so well? Or perhaps, where Snoufer and I like to run and play?


Note to Mom and Dad: I like having the pillow on top of me in my cage. Deal with it. Stop laughing at me.


More as it happens!

One final note to everydoggy who reads my blog: Thank you so much! I love doing this, even if I can't always find the time to. I think it is so much fun to hear from other furry friends out there. Could you please do me a favor to help me with this (if you haven't already)? Could you add me to your blogrolls? That way, other people can see my awesome name (as Roxy and Lucky so astutely pointed out) and click on it to find out about MEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, I don't know what came over me... :)

Whirlwind Weekend

First off, MOM'S HOME!!!

She got in on Sunday, and Dad drove to the airport to pick her up. I drove along with. When I saw her standing outside the terminal, my little doggy tail went absolutely wild!

Unfortunately, Snoufer couldn't see Mom until he got out of the hospital. Yep, that's right. He got hemorragic gastroentritis (HGE) and had to be put on IV fluids for 36 hours. He was so sad when he left! He wouldn't even play with me, and he just laid on the tile floor unmoving at the hospital. Dad was really scared, so I was working double-time on the Morale and Welfare. I missed him too. He's back now and just as spunky as ever!


Of course, he is a little more grumpy than usual, but that could be because he is embarrassed because his paw is shaved. He is a very vain Westie; he likes all his fur to be just so.


Of course, he's also got to take antibiotics to follow-up, which Dad gives him in peanut butter! Why can't I get sick?


Just kidding. I don't want that. Bloody diarrhea? No thank you. Besides, now Snoufer has to be on a bland diet, which Mom and Dad cooked up for him of rice and beef.


It can't be that bad, though, since Snoufer scarfs it down like crazy! Dad told me they're still not sure what caused it, but Snoufer got sick at about the same time that Dad started giving me gravy mix-ins in my food. I thought my food was disappearing rather quickly... The doctors say that it wasn't that that caused Snoufer to get sick, but it might have been a gastrointestinal trigger. So, the real punch line here is that I don't get gravy any more. NUTS!

An interesting side effect of this is that Dad and Mom are researching whole and/or raw foods for me and Snoufer. I'm so picky, and this experience has gotten them a little gun-shy on additives in mass-produced foods. Seeing how much Snoufer gobbled up even his bland diet of "real food", they think that might solve a lot of problems for us. Any suggestions from my pugfriends on this?

Mom had a great time on her vacation. She was visiting family in Michigan at a cottage on Upper Silver Lake (right by the Michigan sand dunes). They spent a lot of time fixing up the cottage for renters in the season coming up, but they had some time left over to fish:


To roast marshmallows over the fire on the beach:


And to go to a petting zoo:


I'm trying to figure out what this guy thinks he's doing...


When she was growing up Mom planted a tree in her backyard. Look how big it is now!


Next post I'll put up the pictures I promised of the Rennaisance Festival. Just to close this one out, I have here definitive proof that I really can read and type on my own, without any help from Dad.



So there. Pay no attention to the leg-like surface on which I am reading. It's nothing. Definitely not a human.

Oh! One more thing. I participated in the Christmas in July that Herbie, Nixon, and Fattie's mom organized, and I got Samantha and Mr. Tigger! I put together a goodie bag for them yesterday, and they sent mine out today! Mmmm, I can't wait! I am also participating in Project Dogway Week 2, so look out, all the competish! Updates on that as it happens.

So glad to be back!

More July 4th Week Fun!

Hello again everyone!

I promise, I'll try to have fewer pictures and more updates from now on. I just needed to get the word out and have a point of reference for everyone to get to know me. So on the same week as the Fourth, I did other really fun stuff as well.

Inspired by my friend Suki Sumo, my humans went boating. And left me at home. They gave some lame excuse about me not having a life jacket and the spicy Colorado sun and blahblahblah. All I heard was "We want to have fun without you." So, I peed on my bed. That'll show them humans.

But they did have fun.




There's even a video of Dad wiping out. Hehehe...

So, as a consolation prize, they scheduled a meetup with my pug family! That's right, I got to meet my dad, my mom, my uncle, and another pug living with them who I've never met before.


That is me and my pugdad. Guess where I get my good looks from? He's a show dog.


That is my uncle. He's got lots of rolls. He warmed up to me sooner than my dad did, believe it or not. Unresolved issues, I guess. Life is complicated...


There is the whole "pug pack": clockwise, from far left is my dad, the new girl, my mom, and my uncle. Check out my mom! What's wierd is I am deep apricot, whereas she is light apricot and my dad is straight fawn. So where do I get my unique and awesome color? I have no idea, but if I ever find out, I'm selling the idea to a soap opera. For pugs. Yep, it'll happen.

That was a lot of fun for the week! We had a bit of a scare, though, since my brother Snoufer got a bit sick early in the week. He was having diarrhea and was dehydrated; he even had to spend a few hours at the vets and they thought they might have to put him on an IV. Thankfully, all was well and no serious measures were required.

The vet prescribed some medicine for him, which the humans gave to him in peanut butter. I just looked at them with my "Puddy face" and they melted. Pity snacks! Score!


Snoufer was back to normal very soon. Which was good, because I was missing tug of war.



Don't let him fool you: he's just as much of a ham as I am.


I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Demille...

That's it for now-- everyone have a great week!